This P-30 Center Core Grant application is a direct outgrowth of the research needs that have developed over the past decade of ten faculty at Northwestern University who are engaged in reproductive research in the areas of fertility and infertility. These ten investigators currently hold 21 funded NIH/NIMH research grants/projects that will access 5 scientific cores; 12 of these grants/projects are funded by the NICHD. The research programs to be served by the P-30 Center Core Grant include investigations into the neuroendocrinology of reproduction, the regulatory mechanisms of gonadal functions, the regulatory mechanisms of gametogenesis, the mechanisms of follicular selection, the ,mechanisms of action of reproductive hormones, the mechanisms regulating genital track functions and he immunological mechanisms regulating fertility. Investigators in the proposed P-30 Center Core Grant are currently addressing questions in the reproductive sciences at the biochemical, molecular, cellular, physiological and behavioral levels. The complexity of the life sciences in the area of reproductive research today requires the sharing of techniques and approaches that are often not available in a single research laboratory. Indeed, it is clear that major breakthroughs in our understanding of the reproductive system will require collaborative efforts of researchers who have expertise in diverse areas of research. Thus, this grant seeks to establish five scientific Cores which will enable Core investigators to incorporate highly sophisticated techniques into their research programs in a cost-effective manner. Furthermore, the Cores will provide quality control and technical expertise in a number of different techniques at a level normally not available to individual Investigators. The five scientific Cores to be established as part of the P-30 Core Center Grant were those that Northwestern investigators determined were in the greatest need and that would have the greatest impact on the quality of reproductive research at this University. The Cores to be established are those for Molecular Technology, Protein Analysis, In situ Hybridization, Monoclonal Antibody-Cell Culture, and Hormone and Neurotransmitter Measurements. An Administrative Core will also be established to administer the Center Grant. The establishment of this P-30 Center Core Grant will enhance the quality and cost-effectiveness of existing federally-funded research programs in the reproductive sciences, and is anticipated to lead to a better understanding of the regulatory mechanisms underlying fertility and infertility.